KEY POINTS:
Owais Shah missed a century against an Otago Selection at University Oval yesterday but still staked his claim to occupy a vacant position in England's test cricket team.
Battling Andrew Strauss for a place in an otherwise settled top and middle order when the three-test series starts against New Zealand in Hamilton on March 5, Shah may have enhanced his chances with a slightly fortuitous 96 as England scored 369 for nine on the first day of the two-day match.
Shah was lucky to survive a confident caught behind appeal off Sam Wells when on 29, while the seam bowler then grassed a simple offering at mid on just nine runs later.
Mark Gillespie was the luckless bowler on that occasion, the letoff underlining a tough day for the Wellingtonian, who probably lost ground to provincial teammate Iain O'Brien in the race to secure the third seamer's spot in the New Zealand team behind Chris Martin and Kyle Mills.
Gillespie was relatively expensive in taking three for 93 off 17 overs while O'Brien claimed one for 32, also off 17.
Shah's selection prospects were certainly done no harm while Strauss answered few questions in making just four. Should he play in the three-day game against a New Zealand Invitational side in Dunedin starting on Thursday, and Strauss fails again, Shah might muscle his way into the middle order at No 6.
"It's obviously good to impress the selectors and put some runs on the board," Shah said after a 150-ball knock that included 14 boundaries.
"It's still early days but hopefully I've put some pressure on."
If Shah is accommodated, Michael Vaughan will be promoted to open, although the captain's clear preference is to bat at No 3.
England management were keen to see Strauss make a decent score on a placid batting pitch.
But the 43-test veteran departed when his bat struck the stumps as he tried to prevent a Gillespie delivery deflecting on to the woodwork.
Australian-born wicketkeeper Tim Ambrose was the other letdown amid an otherwise solid batting effort.
Confined to practice drills and the nets since the tourists arrived a month ago, the designated test gloveman scored two off nine balls before he became one of spinner Will Somerville's three victims.
England motored to 150 for three at lunch with opener Alastair Cook on course for a century inside a session until he was caught and bowled by Wells for 85. Vaughan made a fluent 27 while Ian Bell was unbeaten on 75 at the close after initially retiring on 59.
From a New Zealand perspective, today holds interest as test incumbents Stephen Fleming, Matthew Bell, Mathew Sinclair and Peter Fulton face an English attack bolstered by Steve Harmison, Matthew Hoggard and Monty Panesar.
- NZPA
